Muresk upskills next female ag leaders

Muresk farm manager Steve Wainewright (left), Education and Training Minster Sue Ellery and Muresk general manager Prue Jenkins at the launch of the new Emerging Leaders in Agriculture, Technology and Enterprise program on National Agriculture Day on Tuesday.

MURESK Institute has celebrated National Agriculture Day last week with the launch of a new program aimed at upskilling the next generation of female industry leaders.

The 12-month Emerging Leaders in Agriculture, Technology and Enterprise (ELATE) program will be offered at the Northam campus from next year and delivered in three residential blocks.

The program is targeted at emerging female agricultural leaders.

Students who complete the course will graduate with a Diploma of Leadership and Management.

Topics such as operational planning, effective workplace relations, succession planning and workplace safety will be covered in the course, along with modern issues such as biosecurity, technology adoption, animal welfare and business innovation.

Muresk Institute general manager Prue Jenkins said it had worked with industry to create a tailored curriculum, learning from onsite research initiatives to ensure graduates had the skills they needed to meet industry needs.

Ms Jenkins said Muresk was excited to have industry leaders involved as guest lecturers, including former winners and finalists for the State and national Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Rural Woman of the Year.

“It’s largely for women that are aspiring to leadership roles and we’re looking to a range of people that are already sitting at that leadership level in agriculture,” Ms Jenkins said.

“We want to bring the women together because the benefit of Muresk is getting people to the site, they share a meal together at night, they socialise, they network and students will get the benefit of that expertise.”

Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery said the program would help develop a highly-skilled rural workforce with clear employment pathways.

“Agriculture is a viable career option and supports 1.6 million Australian jobs across the supply chain in areas such as production, retail, logistics, processing and marketing,” Ms Ellery said.

“The ELATE program will equip students with practical agricultural skills and the managerial and leadership skills to manage a successful and productive business.

“The demand for highly-skilled workers in the agriculture sector is growing and, like many other industries, it continues to evolve as technology modernises the way we work.

“The ELATE program will close the gap between practical skills and managerial and leadership skills and with direct involvement from industry, graduates will be well placed to take up the jobs on offer.